Numerous publications and patent documents, including both published applications and issued patents, are cited throughout the specification in order to describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. Each of these citations is incorporated herein by reference as though set forth in full.
Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) caused mainly by Fusarium graminearum, results in yield reductions and in the contamination of cereals with trichothecene mycotoxins, including deoxynivalenol (DON), diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS), T-2 toxin, and trichothecin (T-cin), among others. There is no effective resistance available and the disease pressure and the toxin levels have increased in the last couple of years due to changes in the climate. Using trichodermin as a model compound, trichothecenes were shown to inhibit protein synthesis by targeting the peptidyltransferase center of eukaryotic ribosomes and the gene responsible for the increased trichodermin resistance (TCM1) was shown to encode ribosomal protein L3 (RPL3) in yeast. Trichothecenes have been reported to have diverse roles in the cell that are not limited to the inhibition of protein synthesis. These include single stranded breaks in DNA, inhibition of mitochondrial electron transport and chloroplast activity, membrane damage and inhibition of the cell cycle. There is evidence that DON acts as a virulence factor during Fusarium infection. However, the molecular mechanisms that control mycotoxin sensitivity in wheat or barley are not well understood and the genes targeted by DON other than ribosomal protein L3 have not been identified.